The early development of the vertebrate embryo is highly dynamic and conserved among the phylum. At the molecular level, the binding of different transcription factors in cis-regulatory regions (CRRs) plays a major role in fine-tuning of gene expression. This leads to tissue-specific expression of genes and any mutations in these regulatory regions can lead to developmental anomalies and disease. Many of these cis-regulatory elements are highly conserved in vertebrates and embedded in non-coding regions of the genome. Deciphering these elements in the genome and their functional validation in vertebrates is one of the major challenges in modern biology. My interest lies in deciphering these CRRs and define the syntax to identify these critical regions.